Most of the development of nutrition science is categorized into five related dimensions. First dimension, the Cellular/in-vitro nutrition which develops into the nutritional genomic comprising analytical chemistry, biochemistry, cell biology, immunology, molecular biology and genetics. Second dimension, Special Organ and whole human and animal system, comprising human nutrition, animal nutrition, clinical and dietetics, pathology, physiology, physiological chemistry, and psychology. Third and Fourth dimensions, concerning population, comprising public health/community nutrition with public health, epidemiology, ecology, anthropology, sociology and education, and, public nutrition , comprising food and nutrition security policy with economics, government, and politics. The fifth, Food system, comprising of agriculture and marine sciences (food production, distribution, supply and availability), and food science and technology. The Public Nutrition dimension lies between Public Health/Community Nutrition and Food Dimension.

Nutrition and Food Sciences are among the most interdisciplinary of all sciences. It brings together the chemical, physical, biological, medical, agricultural, economical, social, behavioral, and engineering sciences, to examine how food affects health, education, and productivity.

The International Symposium on Nutrition (ISN) will cover 6 main subjects as follows: (1) Food and Nutrition Policy, (2) Community Nutrition, (3) Public Nutrition, (4) Molecular Nutrition, (5) Clinical Nutrition, and (6) Food Science and Technology.

Greetings from the Chairman

Dear colleagues,

Nowadays, the attention of the role of clinical nutrition in creating excellent generation is continuously increasing particularly in creating healthy, educable and productive people. Research on the relation between genetic and nutrition in the late 20th century has already advancing to the most current era in nutritional genomics and discovering the path to personalized nutrition.

The International symposium on nutrition, which will be held on the 10th – 13th of October 2009 at Makassar, will give us the up to date scientific information by the internationally well-known speakers and experts in the field. The topics will be focusing on the development of nutrition science to improve the healthiness, educability, and productivity of people. This international scientific event will be presented in a plenary lectures, symposia, panel discussion, and oral presentations as well.

It was an honor for us, The Nutrition Department of Medical Faculty and Graduate School of Hasanuddin University in corporation with Indonesian Clinical Nutrition Society (ICNS), to host this international scientific event. It’s a great pleasure to invite you all to participate and gather at the ISN 2009 in Makassar.

Warm Regards,

Prof. Dr. A. Razak Thaha, MD, M.Sc.

Chairman

Writed By : Andi Imam

Sport is an important element which we understand is very beneficial to the human body, needs exercise in a balanced way that is not too much the same way that was never done sports activities. Many benefits can be gained from these activities, such as the smooth flow of blood thus reducing the risk of hypertension and cardiovascular disease, helps the metabolism process that smoothly, and does not create a rigid body. In the book Inquire Within Upon Everything quoted as saying that "Sport in the open air is the first important thing for the human body, but many ignore it because they want to manage their own time", and it is this which describe the state of society in urban areas, because many of us sometimes find excuses for not exercising, because they are part of so many people who do not understand the importance of exercise for body and soul.

Many things can be obtained from the exercise, because it is very good and important, so good to research experts say that exercise can make life much longer. However, exercise does not need excessive, excessive exercise is as bad as too little, excessive exercise will have a negative effect because it gives the opposite effect because it is not giving freshness to the body but only the physical exhaustion, muscle, hormone imbalances, and the body system become weak. So should someone to sport enough for 20 minutes a day or 60 to 75 minutes a week.

Start with light stuff, cycling in the morning, aerobics, or brisk walking for 20 minutes will make the body more fresh and healthy both physically and soul. Here are some of the benefits of exercise for you (Marsden, Kathryn):

1. Sports provide a better sense
2. Sports provide more excitement and energy
3. Sport keeps you warm
4. Exercise good for bones
5. Sports maintaining ideal body weight
6. Sports makes the heart and lungs felt more strongly
7. Sports makes better sleep / sleep
8. Sports help you enjoy life
9. Sport your depression away
10. Sports became the best stress repellent ever discovered.

Sports and Health Body

Sports are closely related to the field of nutrition, exercise metabolism processes a smooth one, which helps expel toxins in the body and reduce acidity in body tissue known as detoxification. Detoxification process carried out during the exercise to make the remaining substances in the body that are carcinogens through sweat during exercise.

In addition to indirectly useful to the process of dumping toxins in the body, exercise to keep your ideal weight. If the excess weight, exercising regularly and consistently make the falling weight without having to go on a diet that torture, once again I said for good metabolic processes. To remove fat, heart rate and speed up multiply in sweat and panting a bit and of course that we can get from mild and sport enough.

Experts say that exercise can burn calories by quite a lot, compare it to just sit there, you'll only be burning calories as much as 75-100 calories per hour different from the case with when we exercise that can reach up to 500 calories per hour. And of course this is more efficient and effective in maintaining weight loss than diets that many obese and overweight patients who dreamed of having an ideal weight.

But for people with certain diseases and the elderly who of course had to avoid fatigue or feeling tired because of his health at risk is recommended to do light and activity it as part of the smooth movement of blood flow and metabolism processes. For a person suffering from a disease that is not advisable to feel fatigue can take the kind of gentle exercise that can be done by anyone, ex sit in the morning to do a little movement or meditation with a circulation of air through the nose and mouth or take a yoga class. For elderly patients, sometimes many are reluctant to exercise for reasons that are really painful for those of inflammatory arthritis, so that should make as little movement as possible. The solution is to avoid extreme movements and even better if you have gymnastics instructor who knows the movements beneficial for the elderly.

There are tips for starting a good exercise for lazy people who do that (Marsden, Katrhyn):

1. Select sport you really like
2. Creative
   If you feel unattractive, look for the option exercise your own
3. Start slowly
4. Always warm up first
5. Make sure you feel comfortable
6. Limit yourself

Do not exercise until you feel pain or discomfort, stop!

7. Think twice before you decide to jog
8. Do not set unrealistic goals
9. Patient
   If you wish to lose weight in quick time then it would not be possible, therefore, be patient through this activity.
10. Plan your walk
11. Take time
12. Make changes

Make your menu a different sport every day, creative!

13. Exercising with music accompaniment
14. Find a friend
15. Participate in exercise class
16. Do not let your age hinder
17. Give yourself an incentive

Tell yourself that you are not going to do something before you exercise

18. Compliment yourself

Tell yourself that "I've done" and maintain the consistency that is in you.

Writed by: A. Imam

Fruit according to most people is one of the delicious food and healthful when consumed, among most people believe that the fruit is a source of antioxidants should be consumed at any time. Fresh fruit is a warehouse of antioxidants, which protect us from poison-related health problems and aging. Therefore fruit or fresh juice is very beneficial for the body's detoxification process. In addition to containing a variety of vitamins, fruit also contains minerals and water that are essential for the human body.

Kathryn Marsden was British national nutritionists who study through the book "The Complete Book of Food Combining" explains the process of digestion of fruit can be safe and well received by the human stomach. A quote in the book "Fit for Life" by Harvey and Marilyn Diamond said that "Fruit is undoubtedly the most beneficial foods, sources of energy, life force, which can be consumed as long as you eat properly." The quotation is also reinforcing the assumption that fruits should be consumed separately and has a good time to consume so that the fruit can be well received by the digestive tract. However, most of us assume to consume fruits at meal times or dessert made. Later after getting digestive problems (heartburn, bloating, flatulence, irritable bowel, or malabsorption syndrome) had their food analyzed in detail and blamed nearly all parts of the food except fruit. That's because many people regard the understanding of fruit is a healthy food that will never be a cause of stomach upsets which makes us very uncomfortable.

A doctor from the United States and is an expert on modern Combining Food said that the fruit is best consumed on an empty stomach, or at meals by making fruit as a snack (appetizers). Some other scholars such as Kathryn Marsden said the fruit through a very fast time in crossing the digestive system. This is because such fruits are absorbed quickly by the intestine without digestion in gastric, the fruit is mechanically digested only in the mouth and then through the stomach and is absorbed quickly by the small intestine. In contrast to foods rich in protein and carbohydrates that requires a long time to be digested and passed on to the small intestine. Therefore, the time difference makes digestion of protein and starch foods consumed together with hard fruits. Drinking fresh fruit juice or eating fruit at the same time or shortly after eating (like most people) make the body lose the benefits of cleaning the fruit. And this is what most people understand the beneficial uses of fruit for dessert. For most people who consume the fruit as a dessert, although free of indigestion that does not mean good to eat fruit at that time or because your body digests well, but because our bodies proved tolerant.

Should consume fruits at least 3 servings a day before each meal time or on an empty stomach. The first portion can we consumption during the early morning when he just got up. Then the second portion at around noon and can be used as a substitute for the morning snack at 10:00. And the third portion at dinner waiting can be used as an appetizer while waiting for the dinner is served. And the gap is most ideal and effective experts said at the time of eating fruit as a meal of appetizers and main meal is 15 minutes. However, do not be too rigid to follow these rules, because once again I say that our body is very tolerant. Therefore when you are desperate and hurry off to work or school, do not have to wait until the gap 15 minutes, while still adhering to the rules for eating the fruit before the main menu and it is good for your body.

Fruit Variations

What about eating fruit that has been processed so that its shape is different from the raw fruit (raw fruit). Call it the fruit processing we often encounter as fruit juice, dried fruit, candied fruit, or fruit that is boiled or baked. The experts believe that the fruits when processed and cooked by boiling will change the structure of these fruits, the nutritional value contained in it will be destroyed or damaged, and makes the fruit, allowing acidic digestive disturbances caused during the time consumed was not appropriate because fruit will not be digested as efficiently as raw fruit. And should be explained that, when having digestive problems and want to consume fruits that have been processed by way cooked or baked, of course, will aggravate these symptoms. Unlike the case with the dried fruit, other than the nutritional value contained in the undamaged fruit, dried fruit is also more delicate in terms of structure and its surface and this makes this dried fruit consumed more comfortable and not causes problems for digestion, although consumed with starch or protein in small amounts. But most people do not know the functions and advantages of eating dried fruit.

Fruit juice is recommended by nutritional experts to be consumed every day, because the nutritional value obtained through the processing and absorption in the body will be optimized and fine structure makes it comfortable to eat. However, fruit juice consumption should not be ignored in a long time due to the fruit juice is difficult to retain vitamins and minerals-mineral, you name it apple juice samples which would have silenced the oxidation process and the juice will change color. And last of candied fruit, fruit that is processed through the pickling process or sweeteners process will make the fruit more durable but it is feared the nutritional value contained therein is reduced and of course when ingested will cause indigestion at risk if consumed with other foods or soften the not suitable.

Therefore, see the basic rules of Food Combining several books, it is recommended to consume the fruit with a separate course, on an empty stomach. And do not consume fruits with starch / carbohydrate, or the protein as it can cause indigestion. Because each food requires travel time of different when was in our digestive system.

Healthy Habit No. 9: Snack the Healthy Way

The ADA recommends five or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day as part of a healthy diet. These plant foods can do many things to boost good health, including:

• Reduce the risk of some cancers
• Beat the signs of aging
• Improve memory
• Promote heart health
• Enhance the immune system

One way to incorporate fruits and veggies into your diet is to have them as snacks. "If you can do one thing [to improve your health], concentrate on getting fruits and veggies," says Johnson. "They are low in calories and high in nutrients."

She says baby carrots and cut-up produce make tasty, convenient munchies. Other healthful snacks include low-fat yogurt and nuts (in moderation).

The best time to snack is when you are hungry between meals, says Johnson. But beware: Cravings could easily be mistaken for hunger cues, especially for people who are dieting.

Healthy Habit No. 10: Drink Water and Eat Dairy

Water and milk are essential fluids for good health, but they can also help with shedding pounds.

The body needs water to keep properly hydrated and individuals vary widely in how much water they need. Joints need it to stay in motion, and vital organs such as the heart, brain, kidney, and liver need it to work properly.

If you don't get enough water, the body goes into emergency mode, and clings to every single water molecule it can find, reports the University of Minnesota Water Resources Center. The stored molecules appear as extra weight. The weight is only released once the body gets enough water.

The calcium in dairy, on the other hand, is known to be important for strong bones and teeth. Studies have also shown it can help prevent high blood pressure, kidney stones, heart disease, and colon cancer.

In the weight loss arena, three 8-ounce glasses of low-fat or fat-free milk appear to encourage body fat loss while maintaining muscle mass, according to the ADA. The dairy consumption must be part of a balanced reduced-calorie meal plan.

Healthy Habit No. 11: Drink Tea

"Decaffeinated tea is better," says Fleming, noting that the caffeinated variety can be dehydrating, and sugary drinks can lead to weight gain.

There is some evidence that tea may help in improving memory, and preventing cavities, cancer, and heart disease. Fleming says, though, that the overall research is still inconclusive.

"There may well be some beneficial effects of tea, particularly the potential antioxidant effect, but we don't have great data on that right now that is that specific."

However, there's no doubt that a cool iced tea can be a refreshing treat during hot days. Try flavoring your tea with juices, fruits, cinnamon sticks, ginger, and other condiments.

Healthy Habit No. 12: Take a Daily Walk

We already mentioned the merits of exercise in habit No. 5. Now, here's a tip on how to incorporate physical activity into your daily life: WALK.

We're not talking about taking the time out of your busy schedule to work out -- that's important, too -- but infusing life- and limb-saving movement into your waking hours.

"Just move. Pace during phone calls, while you're brushing your teeth, while watching your son's soccer game," says Bryant, noting that every 20 steps a person takes is 1 calorie burned.

An eight-year study of 13,000 people also showed that people who walked 30 minutes daily had a significantly reduced chance of premature death compared with those who rarely exercised, reports the American Council on Exercise.

And there are plenty of opportunities to move those legs:

• Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
• Walk to the store.
• Window shop at the mall.
• Leave your desk and visit your co-worker instead of sending him an email.
• Walk and talk with friends instead of meeting for a meal.

Healthy Habit No. 13: Plan

There is, perhaps, no better word in the English language to better illustrate how you can incorporate healthy habits into your everyday life.

"A little planning goes a long way," says Johnson. "Eating healthy never happens by accident."

For the most part, neither do good fitness, skin protection, healthy teeth, weight loss, and social ties. Many of these habits take effort that need to be scheduled into busy lives.

To eat healthy, for example, it would help to set aside time to draft a menu, make a grocery list, go to the store, prepare meals, and pack breakfast and lunch.

Healthy Habit No. 5: Exercise for Better Health

We already know that physical activity has a bounty of benefits, which makes it so puzzling why so many people just don't do it. According to the CDC, more than 60% of Americans do not get regular exercise.

In case you needed an incentive, here is a review of the advantages of exercise, per the National Cancer Institute:

• Helps control weight
• Maintains healthy bones, muscles, and joints
• Reduces risk of developing high blood pressure and diabetes
• Promotes psychological well-being
• Reduces risk of death from heart disease
• Reduces risk of premature death

Studies have also shown a link between exercise and a reduced risk of certain cancers.

Besides its long-term effects, moving your body has immediate benefits, says Cedric Bryant, chief exercise physiologist for the American Council on Exercise. The short-term results of exercise include helping people to think and move better, manage stress, improve mood, and get an energy boost.

The excuses that people often give to not exercise are the precise reasons to exercise, says Bryant. People who say they are too tired or don't have time to workout don't realize that exercise gives people more energy and allows them to be more productive with the rest of their time.

Healthy Habit No. 6: Practice Good Dental Hygiene

Flossing your teeth every day could add 6.4 years to your life, according to Michael Roizen, MD, author of RealAge. In his book, Roizen lists flossing as one of the most important daily activities -- along with exercise and quitting smoking -- that could extend life span.

Roizen's calculation may raise some eyebrows, but the idea that oral health is connected to overall health isn't far-fetched.

The mouth, after all, is an integral part of the body. "Teeth have a blood supply, and that blood supply comes from the heart," says Richard Price, DMD, consumer advisor for the American Dental Association (ADA).

Researchers suspect that the bacteria that produce dental plaque enter the bloodstream. They say these bacteria are somehow associated with the inflammation that occurs with plaque that blocks blood vessels and causes heart disease.

Other researchers have found links between oral bacteria and stroke, diabetes, and the birth of preterm babies and those that have low birth weight.

In addition to preventing disease, flossing and brushing can help keep your pearly whites intact for more than just cosmetic reasons. Teeth help you chew food, speak properly, and smile -- which, according to Price, can help you keep your dignity.

Healthy Habit No. 7: Take Up a Hobby

Look up the word "hobby" in the Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, and you will find the definition as "a pursuit outside one's regular occupation engaged in especially for relaxation."

Since they are relaxing activities, hobbies are usually enjoyable. Some people find joy in craftwork, bird watching, sports, going to flea markets, walking in the park, or playing cards.

The joy may help people live healthier and recover better from illness. For one thing, taking part in hobbies can burn calories, more so than just sitting in front of the TV.

In a study of people who had undergone surgery, Jenkins found that people who were involved in hobbies before their operation had better recovery six months later, compared with people who did not have hobbies.

The participants with hobbies tended to have more drive and interest in things and other people, says Jenkins. "It was a more active orientation to life."

Healthy Habit No. 8: Protect Your Skin

Our skin starts to age as soon as we are born and, according to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), the best way to protect it and look younger is to stay out of the sun.

The sun has harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays that can cause wrinkles, dryness, and age spots. Overexposure can cause sunburn, skin texture changes, dilated blood vessels, and skin cancers.

Avoiding the sun, however, is not always ideal or practical. To reduce the risk of skin damage, the AAD offers the following tips:

• Always wear sunscreen with SPF 15 or higher.
• Don a hat with a brim and wear other protective clothing.
• Don't deliberately sunbathe.
• Try to avoid sun exposure between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.

By Dulce Zamora

There are 13 ways to boost your chances of living a happy, healthy life. More can be added to this list, but, for simplicity's sake, we'll stick with this typically unlucky number.

Instead of bringing misfortune, however, the 13 habits promise a life of vigor and vivacity. There are, of course, no guarantees, but many of the practices mentioned here have been published in scientific journals. Disregard them, and you may well be taking a big gamble with your mental and emotional well-being.

Healthy Habit No. 1: Eat Breakfast Every Morning

Breakfast eaters are champions of good health. Research shows people who have a morning meal tend to take in more vitamins and minerals, and less fat and cholesterol. The result is often a leaner body, lower cholesterol count, and less chance of overeating.

"That one act [of eating breakfast] seems to make a difference in people's overall weight," says Melinda Johnson, RD, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association (ADA). She says breakfast can hold off hunger pangs until lunchtime and make high-calorie vending machine options less enticing.

Not only that, researchers at the 2003 American Heart Association conference reported that breakfast eaters are significantly less likely to be obese and get diabetes compared with nonbreakfast eaters.

Another study in the International Journal of Food Science and Nutrition showed that people who consumed breakfast cereal every day reported feeling better both physically and mentally than those who rarely ate cereal in the morning.

For kids, breakfast appears to enhance alertness, attention, and performance on standardized achievement tests, reports the ADA.

To get the full benefits of breakfast, the Mayo Clinic recommends a meal with carbohydrates, protein, and a small amount of fat. They say that because no single food gives you all of the nutrients you need, eating a variety of foods is essential to good health.

Yet, even with so much scientific support that breakfast does the body good; many people still make excuses not to eat in the morning. They include not having enough time and not feeling hungry. For these people, Johnson suggests tailoring breakfast to the day.

"When I'm getting ready in the morning, I don't really want to take the time to eat breakfast because that would mean sacrificing sleep," says Johnson. "So I bring my breakfast with me, and I know I have an hour when I'm reading emails in the office when I can eat it. By that time, I'm hungry because I've been up for almost a couple of hours."

Healthy Habit No. 2: Add Fish and Omega-3 Fatty Acids to Your Diet

The AHA recommends a serving of fish two times per week.

Besides being a good source of protein and a food relatively low in the bad type of dietary fat called saturated fat, fish has omega-3 fatty acids -- which have been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease.

Fatty fish such as mackerel, lake trout, herring, sardines, albacore tuna, and salmon, are rich in two kinds of omega-3 fatty acids: eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).

Foods such as tofu, soybeans, canola, walnuts, flaxseed, and their oils contain alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), which convert to omega-3 in the body. Even though the benefits of ALA are controversial, the AHA still recommends foods containing it as part of a healthy diet.

In addition to their heart-health benefits, there is some evidence that omega-3 fatty acids may also soothe an overactive immune system, says Johnson. Even though this benefit is still being studied, she says there appears to be a link between getting more omega-3s in your diet and reducing allergies, asthma, eczema, and autoimmune disorders.

Healthy Habit No. 3: Get Enough Sleep

"Your body has to have enough time to rest," says Michael Fleming, MD, president of the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP). Otherwise, he says you may find yourself feeling cranky and tired.

This may sound like common sense, but according to the National Sleep Foundation (NSF), more than two-thirds of older adults suffer from sleep problems and many American adults don't get the minimum amount of shuteye needed to stay alert.

Sleep is vital to good health and to mental and emotional well-being. The NSF reports that people who don't get enough slumber are more likely than others to develop psychiatric problems and to use health care services. Plus, sleep deprivation can negatively affect memory, learning, and logical reasoning.

Not enough ZZZs can also be hazardous. More than one-half of adult drivers -- some 100 million people -- say they have driven drowsy in the past year, according to NSF polls. About one out of five of these drivers -- 32 million people -- say they've fallen asleep while driving.

Each year drowsy driving causes more than 100,000 car crashes, 1,500 deaths, and tens of thousands of injuries, reports the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The NSF recommends taking a 15 to 20 minute nap. Because it takes about 30 minutes for the caffeine to work, taking a nap while you wait for the caffeine to kick in can help restore alertness.

To avoid the pitfalls of insufficient sleep, make sure to get at least seven to 10 hours of slumber each night. Kids need more sleep, depending on their age.

Healthy Habit No. 4: Make Social Connections

Volunteer. Go to church. Join a club. Whatever you do, do it with people. Communal activities are good for your physical and mental health, according to a study published in the March/April 2004 issue of the American Journal of Health Behavior.

It makes sense, says C. David Jenkins, PhD, author of Building Better Health: A Handbook of Behavioral Change. He says social ties have many benefits, including:

• Providing information. You may think for instance your frequent nosebleeds, coughing, and sneezing episodes are trivial, but when a close friend or relative hears of it, he or she may encourage you to go to a doctor. If the symptoms turn out to be a serious condition, the social tie could have saved your life.
• Instrumental help. Friends and family can provide physical support in time of need. They may help with cooking, cleaning, running errands, doing grocery shopping, and driving to the doctor's office.
• Emotional support. Sharing a problem with a trusted person can help alleviate an internal burden. "It's a load off your chest," says Jenkins.
• Offering a sense of belonging. This feeling not only helps reinforce a person's identity, it also assists in preventing and overcoming depression and anxiety.

Community ties also help improve mental functioning, says Fleming. Group activities can help keep the mind active and maintain desirable levels of serotonin -- the brain chemical associated with mood. "Lack of social interaction will [decrease] serotonin levels," says Fleming.

Author by David Klein

If sweet fruit feels too sweet, makes your teeth hurt, gives you strange and unpleasant body sensations, or fatigue, that indicates that you are toxic inside and you have over eaten. Being toxic means your digestive tract and blood stream are soiled with toxic debris from indigestible or poorly digested and uneliminated foodstuffs.

Bacteria will colonize internal debris. They serve the beneficial function of breaking down the debris/mucus/phlegm for elimination. If we have an overload of debris we will have a huge population of bacteria. When when fruit sugar comes into contact with the bacteria-infested debris in the alimentary canal, the bacteria feast on the sugar. The result is fermentation, i.e., the bacteria consume sugar and excrete alcohol, vinegar and gases. The alcohol, vinegar and gases poison and damage our tissues and nerves, and impair our brain functions, including our thinking. Thus, we can become “food drunk.”

We can overcome the problem of sugar fermentation by fasting (flushing out with water) and then making a transition to a naturally cleansing diet of 100% raw foods or juices, following proper food combining for optimum digestion. Water will assist the body’s self-purifying and eliminative actions. A citrus juice “cleanse” with diluted or undiluted juices will also help flush debris out of the system — the acids in the juices help break up accumulations of sticky and hardened toxic debris for elimination.

Once we have cleaned out our digestive tract and colon and our blood has become purified, we are able to enjoy sweet fruit eating with no problems. Remember:

* To promote optimum digestion, inner cleanliness and health, eat sweet fruit only on an empty stomach, and eat fruit alone or with only neutral green vegetables and/or cucumbers, except for melons which always need to be eaten alone.

* To help overcome any sweet fruit overeating habits, eat consciously and slowly, and, if appealing, eat sweet fruit with greens and/or cucumbers so that you fill up on less sugar and more fiber.

* To avoid metabolic and dental problems, dried fruit should be avoided or eaten in minimal amounts followed by brushing, or eaten after rehydrating in water.

* We need to exercise every day in order to fully metabolize fruit sugar and create health — if we don’t create a need for food nourishment, fruit or any food can pollute our body.

* Anatomically, we are frugivores, thus, fruit is our most healthful food — be active, eat simply, and enjoy your fruit in good health!

Source : From Living Nutrition vol. 6

THE EXTENT OF THE PROBLEM

Currently more than 1 billion adults are overweight – and at least 300 million of them are clinically obese. Current obesity levels range from below 5% in China, Japan and certain African nations, to over 75% in urban Samoa. But even in relatively low prevalence countries like China, rates are almost 20% in some cities.

Childhood obesity is already epidemic in some areas and on the rise in others. An estimated 17.6 million children under five are estimated to be overweight worldwide. According to the US Surgeon General, in the USA the number of overweight children has doubled and the number of overweight adolescents has trebled since 1980. The prevalence of obese children aged 6-to-11 years has more than doubled since the 1960s. Obesity prevalence in youths aged 12-17 has increased dramatically from 5% to 13% in boys and from 5% to 9% in girls between 1966-70 and 1988-91 in the USA. The problem is global and increasingly extends into the developing world; for example, in Thailand the prevalence of obesity in 5-to-12 year olds children rose from12.2% to 15-6% in just two years.

Obesity accounts for 2-6% of total health care costs in several developed countries; some estimates put the figure as high as 7%. The true costs are undoubtedly much greater as not all obesity-related conditions are included in the calculations.

HOW DOES EXCESS BODY FAT IMPACT HEALTH?

Overweight and obesity lead to adverse metabolic effects on blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides and insulin resistance. Some confusion of the consequences of obesity arise because researchers have used different BMI cut-offs, and because the presence of many medical conditions involved in the development of obesity may confuse the effects of obesity itself.

The non-fatal, but debilitating health problems associated with obesity include respiratory difficulties, chronic musculoskeletal problems, skin problems and infertility.

The more life-threatening problems fall into four main areas: CVD problems; conditions associated with insulin resistance such as type 2 diabetes; certain types of cancers, especially the hormonally related and large-bowel cancers; and gallbladder disease.

The likelihood of developing Type 2 diabetes and hypertension rises steeply with increasing body fatness.

Confined to older adults for most of the 20th century, this disease now affects obese children even before puberty. Approximately 85% of people with diabetes are type 2, and of these, 90% are obese or overweight. And this is increasingly becoming a developing world problem. In 1995, the Emerging Market Economies had the highest number of diabetics. If current trends continue, India and the Middle Eastern crescent will have taken over by 2025. Large increases would also be observed in China, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the rest of Asia.

Raised BMI also increases the risks of cancer of the breast, colon, prostrate, endometrial, kidney and gallbladder. Chronic overweight and obesity contribute significantly to osteoarthritis, a major cause of disability in adults. Although obesity should be considered a disease in its own right, it is also one of the key risk factors for other chronic diseases together with smoking, high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol. In the analyses carried out for World Health Report 2002, approximately 58% of diabetes and 21% of ischemic heart disease and 8-42% of certain cancers globally were attributable to a BMI above 21 kg/m2.

WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT?

Effective weight management for individuals and groups at risk of developing obesity involves a range of long-term strategies. These include prevention, weight maintenance, management of co-morbidities and weight loss. They should be part of an integrated, multi-sectoral, population-based approach, which includes environmental support for healthy diets and regular physical activity. Key elements include :

· Creating supportive population-based environments through public policies that promote the availability and accessibility of a variety of low-fat, high-fibre foods, and that provide opportunities for physical activity.

· Promoting healthy behaviours to encourage, motivate and enable individuals to lose weight by :

o eating more fruit and vegetables, as well as nuts and whole grains;

o engaging in daily moderate physical activity for at least 30 minutes;

o cutting the amount of fatty, sugary foods in the diet;

o moving from saturated animal-based fats to unsaturated vegetable-oil based fats.

· Mounting a clinical response to the existing burden of obesity and associated conditions through clinical programmers and staff training to ensure effective support for those affect ed to lose weight or avoid further weight gain.

FACTS :

• Globally, there are more than 1 billion overweight adults, at least 300 million of them obese.
• Obesity and overweight pose a major risk for chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes, Cardiovascular disease, hypertension and stroke, and certain forms of cancer.
• The key causes are increased consumption of energy-dense foods high in saturated fats and sugars, and reduced physical activity.

OBESITY AND OVERWEIGHT

Obesity has reached epidemic proportions globally, with more than 1 billion adults overweight - at least 300 million of them clinically obese - and is a major contributor to the global burden of chronic disease and disability. Often coexisting in developing countries with under-nutrition, obesity is a complex condition, with serious social and psychological dimensions, affecting virtually all ages and socioeconomic groups.

Increased consumption of more energy-dense, nutrient poor foods with high levels of sugar and saturated fats, combined with reduced physical activity, have led to obesity rates that have risen three-fold or more since 1980 in some areas of North America, the United Kingdom, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, the Pacific Islands, Australasia and China. The obesity epidemic is not restricted to industrialized societies; this increase is often faster in developing countries than in the developed world.

Obesity and overweight pose a major risk for serious diet-related chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension and stroke, and certain forms of cancer. The health consequences range from increased risk of premature death, to serious chronic conditions that reduce the overall quality of life. Of especial concern is the increasing incidence of child obesity.

WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?

The rising epidemic reflects the profound changes in society and in behavioral patterns of communities over recent decades. While genes are important in determining a person's susceptibility to weight gain, energy balance is determined by calorie intake and physical activity. Thus societal changes and worldwide nutrition transition are driving the obesity epidemic. Economic growth, modernization, urbanization and globalization of food markets are just some of the forces thought to underlie the epidemic.

As incomes rise and populations become more urban, diets high in complex carbohydrates give way to more
varied diets with a higher proportion of fats, saturated fats and sugars.At the same time, large shifts towards less physically demanding work have been observed worldwide. Moves towards less physical activity are also found in the increasing use of automated transport, technology in the home, and more passive leisure pursuits.

HOW DO WE DEFINE OBESITY AND OVERWEIGHT?

The prevalence of overweight and obesity is commonly assessed by using body mass index (BMI), defined as the weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters (kg/m2). A BMI over 25 kg/m2 is defined as overweight, and a BMI of over 30 kg/m2 as obese. These markers provide common benchmarks for assessment, but the risks of disease in all populations can increase progressively from lower BMI levels.

Adult mean BMI levels of 22-23 kg/m2 are found in Africa and Asia, while levels of 25-27 kg/m2 are prevalent across North America, Europe, and in some Latin American, North African and Pacific Island countries. BMI increases amongst middle-aged elderly people, who are at the greatest risk of health complications. In countries undergoing nutrition transition, over nutrition often co-exists with under nutrition. People with a BMI below 18.5 kg/m2 tend to be underweight.

The distribution of BMI is shifting upwards in many populations. And recent studies have shown that people who were undernourished in early life and then become obese in adulthood, tend to develop conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes at an earlier age and in more severe form than those who were never undernourished.